If I had to describe Rusty Hearts in a nutshell, I'd say it's kind of like Castle Crashers meets Devil May Cry. Think side-scrolling action, co-op with your friends in a fierce, combo-driven combat game. In terms of art style, the cel-shaded look might be reminiscent of games like Marvel vs Capcom 3, but with a heavier influence from anime like Bleach. But Rusty Hearts is definitely its own beast, a fully-realized universe with stylish heroes, intense brawling action, and immense replay value. The best part is, it's online, and it's free to play.

The first thing players will notice about Rusty Hearts is that it's fast-paced and highly-stylized. The core of the gameplay revolves around dungeon exploration, but combat keeps things fresh by fusing the accessibility of beat-em-ups with a unique combo system. Rusty Hearts is a brawler. And one of the best ways to play a brawler is with... a gamepad! Rusty Hearts supports gamepad controls that are fully customizable. The game was built with both gamepad and keyboard controls in mind, so you'll be able to choose whichever control scheme you prefer.

There are multiple heroes in Rusty Hearts, but I'll start with Angela and Tude, a pair of unlikely but powerful fighters. Each hero has his or her own major backstory, motivation, and play style. Angela is a sassy witch who specializes in elemental magic. She wields an enormous scythe, which she uses to cut down... well, everything. [Cut to clips of Angela destroying monsters] Look at her go !Tude is a free-spirited drifter who specializes in close-quarters combat. He's equipped with a mysterious claw/gauntlet that grants him fierce skills in battle. With Tude, you can unleash the beast...Both heroes have made it their objective to take down Lord Vlad, leader of the vampire armies. But why? Well, our heroes possess dark secrets themselves, which you'll have to discover for yourself. The characters and overarching storyline in Rusty Hearts are some of the elements we're most proud of. You can think of it as a fully-fledged campaign that happens to be online.

These features are just scratching the surface of what Rusty Hearts brings to the MMO table, and there's much more we have yet to reveal. Players can check out the official website, RustyHearts.PerfectWorld.com, for all the latest news and register for the closed beta. We look forward to seeing everyone in-game when closed beta begins this July.